Night-latch



I'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT MUENOH, OF CHICAGO, rpnmmg y' v e j NIGHT-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatenrNp. 381.162, uaredaprn 17,1888." Application filled December 13, 1887; Serial No. 257,738. (No model.) l

Toall whom it'may concern/:Q

Bc it known that I, ROBERT MUENOH, a citiv zen of the United States of America, residingy at Chicago, in the county of Cook andY State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in` Night-Latches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings,

This invention has for its object to provide a night-latch that Will be impossible for a burglar to open from the outside; and with that object in view my invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices a front elevation of the device; Fig. 2, a lon' hereinafter described 'and specificallyl claimed. In thev accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is gitudinal section on line x in/Fig. 1, looking at it from the top. Fig. 3 is a section on line y y in Fig.1. Fig. 4 isa rear elevation of the 5 is a longitudinal section on line x x in Fig.

1, looking at it from the bottom. Fig. 6 is an` elevation of the latch in the position of being in the act of locking the door. vFig.`7 is the `middle piece of the bolt detached, and Fig. 8-

is an elevation of one of the'tumblers detached.

Corresponding referential characters designate like parts in all the figures.

The bolt 1 -is provided with a chamfered head, 2, 'and has a flat tail end.. Thishead and the adjoining portion of the tail-plate are, slotted through their center to insert therein a piece, 3,' shaped like vthe bolt-head, and pivotally secured by a pin,4, passedthrough holes in both the head 2 and piece 3. Thispiece 3 projects somewhat beyond the chamfered face of the latch-head 2. The tail end of piece 3 is r The rearportion of the tail end kof bolt l is longitudinally slotted, engaging a guide-stud, 8, ofthe casing, and the lower edge of the tail lock with the coveringplate removed. Fig.

' portion of said bolt'is notched ouft'tobe `engaged by the cam projection 10 of the barrel Y l 11., The face of 'the bolt-head 2 ,that slides upon the bottom face of the casing 9 is eirtended on the sides by two feather-like projections, 12, that move in correspondinglyf shaped grooves of the V.bolt-hole inthe end y plate of casing 9. A longitudinal groove is also out through the face of the casing 9 for the screw-stem of button 7 to project through and to move in. Y

, Below the tail end of bolt lrarepivoted upon Y' a pin, 13, two (more or less) tumblers, rlftfthat `are notched. as lshown in Fig. 8, providing a t shoulder, 15, which engages thestubvend of `piece-5v.` These tumblersfhave eachsecured thereto one end ot a spring, 16, the opposite end of which rests against thevgtop `side frame of casing 9. These springs hold the lower` yedges of the tumblers against the lower'collar of barrel, 11, which' latter is slotted for the ward of a Vflat key to be inserted,which `ward will project out below the cam projection 10'` of such barrel, and with turning` it` suchkeyward 10v will lift the tuinblers 14 sufficient 'for shoulder 15 to-clearfthe stub end of piece 5 while the cam 10 willlmove the bolt. Ajcoiled wirespring, 17, is placed overa stud, 18,.of casing 9, and while yone arm of said `spring rests againstlug 19 of the casing its other arm presses against the rear shoulder ot, bolt-head 2,` forcing the said bolt outward to make/the A latch self-locking. ,f Upon the inside face ofthe casing 9is placed a plate, 21, vertically guided between pin 8 and two small lugs, 22, forming part of the casing.

The bolt 1- will slide overithis plate 2l,vvhich,l however, has upon one end a projecting lug, 23, that with sliding the plate upward `will butt against the rear end of the bolt l, prevent-l ing its'being retracted for opening. kThis plate` y 21 is tappedin about its middle for engagingy N.the screw-shank of a button ,24,passed through' va vertically-slotted open ing,25,v of thecasi'ng. The parts are covered by a plate, 26, iittedvbef tween the frame of the casing,engagingstud 18 and barrel 11, where it is slotted for the key-V ward to enter, and is secured in position bya single screw, 27, engaging with the tapped hole I 'f i, rIo'o in a. stud, 2o..'

door is lclosed the bolt-head will enter the keeper orlock-striker 28, when at once theVV The keeper or lock-strike 28,that is secured against the door-frame, is a shell of a shape corresponding with the latch-casing,and with its side adjoining the bolt-head end of the said casing cut out for admitting the bolt-head 2, and its feather-like side extensions, 12, to fit closely into correspondingly-shaped notches or grooves therein.

In this latch,while closing or while the bolt 1 is projected out by spring i7, the stub end of piece 5 will engage behind the shoulder 15 of tumblers 14, and with closing the door the bolt-head 2 the piece 3 will be brought into contact with the keeper or lock-strike 28 in u advance of the bolt-head 2, when, as shown in Fig. 6, the piece 3 is depressed to be flush with the bolt-head, whereby the stub end of piece 5 is swung to clear the shoulder 15 of tumblers 14, thus removing all obstructions for the bolt to be shifted into the casing; but as soon as the stub end of piece 5, depressed by spring 29, will drop behind shoulder 15 of tumblers 14 again, and at the same time the piece 3 will swing so that its chamfered face will project beyond the chamfered face of the bolt, while at the same time the straight face of piece 3 will then be liush with the straight face of the bolt-head. After the bolt-head has entered the keeper or lockstrike its straight face bears against the surface of the same,and is held rigidly from separating by the feather-like projections of the bolt head 2 closely fitting into the corresponding grooves or notches of such fixture. Thus it becomes impossible for a burglar to force the bolt back by any instrument he mayinsert between the door and frame, because he would have to repress the piece 3 before the bolt can be moved. This cannot be done on account of the two feather-like projections l2 of the bolt 2 which bear against the grooves.

Catching hold of knob 7 for withdrawing the bolt said knob will assume the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, whereby piece 5 will be swung to clear shoulder 15 of tumblers 14, and then there will be no further obstruction to withdrawing the bolt from engagement with fixture 28. It has been already described that pieces 3 and 5 are pivotally connected and that shoulder 6 will limit aswinging movement in one direction, and this is for the purpose that a depression of piece 3 must always swing piece 5 to disengage from the tumblers, but that piece 5 can be disengaged from the tumblers without swinging piece 3,

` which, as long as the bolt-head is in engagement with the keeper or lock-strike 28,\cannot be moved.

Ihe opening of the latch bythe key has been already sufficiently described.

What I claim is- 1. In a night-latch, the combination of the bolt-head 2, having the pivotal piece -3 and the feather-like projections "12 on the sides thereof, and means, substantially as described, for operating the said parts, with a keeper, 28, having grooves correspond i ng with feathers 12, substantially as described. r

2. In a night-latch, the combination of a bolt-head, 2, having feather-like projections 12 and pivotal piece 3, said pivotal piece being provided with a shoulder, 6, and pivotallyconnected piece 5, with tumblers 14, and keeper 28, having grooves corresponding with feathers l2, substantial] y as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT MUENCH.

Witnesses: l

WILLIAM H. Loirz, OTTO LUBKERT. 

